


Waters Stained Black

by empressofhorror



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Angst with a Happy Ending, Arranged Marriage, Cannibalism, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Horror, M/M, Merpeople, Mpreg, Multi, Non-Human Genitalia, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Psychological Horror, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 19:58:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9287540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/empressofhorror/pseuds/empressofhorror
Summary: Shuu was supposed to have been married off to a man that he hated and barely knew. Shuu was supposed to have to have grit his teeth and left with the man to the northern mainlands, far from his island home of which he was prince to. Shuu was supposed to have led a life from then on a bird within a gilded cage. But that’s not what happened. In truth, reality had been far more worse.





	1. Chapter 0: The Prologue Myths

**Author's Note:**

> So, because there really wasn't any mer au fics for this fandom on ao3, I decided to take one for the team and started writing it myself lol;;  
> This is gonna be a bit of a ride. I also plan for this fic to be quite long yay!! haha  
> As of right now I don't have a set schedule for this fic since the new semester just started and the chapters will stay pretty long for the most part -- we'll see. I'll try not to have the wait period be too outrageous ^^.
> 
> \- empressofhorror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter with our boys in it! 
> 
> It's gonna be a bit of a ride from here on out haha;;;
> 
> \- empressofhorror

## The Legend of the Dragon and the Giant

 

In the beginning there was only darkness and water, and everything was without form. And from within these dark waters an egg began to take shape, that when hatched, birthed the great dragon goddess Iaris-Nahna. She emerged with scales of white and gold, and with eyes like pools of ink that had crimson centers.

As she traveled through the dark primordial waters, her light spilled all around her, and through her will, she created all manner of fish and marine life, and Iaris-Nahna was happy for a time. But that time did not last forever, and even though she found friends in the creatures that she made, Iaris-Nahna found that she still felt lonely. And so she decided that she would make herself a companion by forming an egg not unlike the one from which she hatched.

When the egg hatched, it rendered the world in two. One for what was already the world of Iaris-Nahna — one of darkness and light and water, and the other world was for her companion — a world of air, and earth, and possibility. And it was from the hatching of this divine egg that the god, Aion-Lei emerged. However, the god did not emerge as a dragon like Iaris-Nahna had, but as that of a giant, with tan skin and dark hair and eyes like the earth that appeared where he willed it to.

And Aion-Lei wished for the earth to appear in many, many places. Wherever he walked sand, and soil would appear. Wherever he danced flora would bloom. His laughter brought fauna to life.

After a time had passed and Aion-Lei had created all of the islands and great lands that he had desired, with their mountains and forests abound, he found that he wanted to show off his work to Iaris-Nahna.  So he called to her, and up she emerged from the deep waters, scales gleaming from the light and their own.

“Iaris-Nahna,” he said, “I have finally finished making such beautiful islands and lands! I wish to show them to you, you who are my only companion. Will you not look upon my work with me?”

“I am afraid I cannot look upon them with you Aion-Lei.”

“But why?” he implored.

“It is because I do not have the same form that you do. How am I supposed to travel and see your lands if there is no water, Aion-Lei?”

Iaris-Nahna’s question stumped the god. He wanted to show his work to her, but he didn’t know how to if Iaris-Nahna could not come with him. And then, as if lightning had struck, he turned to her excitedly, “What if I were to make pathways within the earth that you could flood with water? That way you would be able to see the lands with me.”

Upon hearing this Iaris-Nahna agreed, and after the pathways were flooded, they decided to call them ‘rivers’. And it was through these rivers that Iaris-Nahna saw the splendor of Aion-Lei’s world. All around her, as she swam in the fresh waters, Iaris-Nahna saw beauty that was so incredibly new to her from the familiarity of the deep seas. Flowers bloomed with every step that Aion-Lei took and their sweet scent made the air heavy and languid. Everywhere she looked there was green in such a brightness that she could only compare it to that of algae, but not quite. As they moved along through the many islands and lands, Aion-Lei would show her the many different creatures that he had created as well. From little flying insects with gossamer wings that flew around and about the flower fields called ‘butterflies’, to the prancing deer of the woodland forests, and all of the different manner of birds and their songs, that during the day, almost never ceased to fill the air.

And then one day, when they had returned to the shores of the sea, they came across a creature that looked to Iaris-Nahna, very much like a smaller version of Aion-Lei, and surprised she turned to him to bring his attention to it. Upon seeing what had caught her attention, Aion-Lei laughed, “Oh them. Those are my newest, and last, creation. I call them humans.”

Iaris-Nahna looked back upon the human who was dressed in some sort of animals fur and was picking fruit from off of a tree, before turning in confusion back to Aion-Lei, “But why would you create a creature that looks so much like you? What is the purpose of it?”

Aion-Lei sat upon the beach, with warm white sand sliding through his fingers, and Iaris-Nahna barely even drifting within the shallow waters. He said nothing for a time as he felt the waves continuously rush up to submerge his feet with the high tide. He almost found the water to be cold.

Iaris-Nahna said nothing during this, and after a while, she thought that perhaps he would not answer, which hurt her. Should not she, who had been his maker and only companion know? There were no secrets kept between them and Iaris-Nahna wanted it to stay that way, however, now she was unsure if Aion-Lei felt the same. When he next spoke, he jolted her from her own thoughts.

“I created them, because they are so wholly different from my other creations. They walk like me, and they talk like you and I. They have such _intelligence_ Iaris-Nahna, and a curiosity that rivals my own. There is such _possibility_ with them. They even create things, such wonderful little things, that although do not last like one of yours or mine, are wonderful all the same. In fact, the things they create are beautiful to me _because_ they do not last. And I find, out of all of my creatures, I hold these humans the dearest to my heart for they are all my children.”

When Aion-Lei finished speaking he looked back upon Iaris-Nahna and she found in that moment that, for the first time in her memory, she was jealous - and it was of Aion-Lei. For he had obtained what she had not, a treasure, a true legacy that he would hold dear to him always. Iaris-Nahna may have created all that which had form beneath the sea, but she did not hold any one of her own creations with such fervor. Iaris-Nahna had even created Aion-Lei himself, but he was not to her how he had described his humans to her. He was her companion, her other half that lived above the waters.

It was then that Iaris-Nahna regarded Aion-Lei with new eyes. Not with the eyes of his creator, and not even with the eyes of his companion, but with the eyes of a goddess looking upon and recognizing a god. And what she found, was that Aion-Lei was every bit as much as breathtakingly beautiful as the world he had created above the seas. And so she also found that she wanted to create her own legacy with him.

“If I asked you to help me in creating our own children of the sea, would you say yes Aion-Lei?”

Iaris-Nahna could see Aion-Lei’s eyes widen with slight shock, and then he looked away, eyes filled with contemplation. It was not long before he spoke again.

“I think that I would say yes.”

Iaris-Nahna could almost feel herself shining brighter at hearing Aion-Lei’s words. She watched him get up and begin to wade into the water until he was close enough to feel her hide, and the water had reached his waist. And when she looked into his eyes then, the white and brown glowing with divinity, she found them to be so, terribly warm.

And there, under the light of the sun and the sky, and on the edges of the sea, they mated and created their children, the mer. They were beings with torsos like that of Aion-Lei, but their lower half was like that of fish, and akin to that of Iaris-Nahna. And like Iaris-Nahna, they also proved to be very, very capricious creatures, who were as likely to say they loved you in one of their enchanting songs before dragging you down into the deep waters never to return. Yet for all of their faults, Iaris-Nahna loved them anyway, for they were her beautiful and wondrous children of the sea.

  


* * *

  


## The Dance of the Celestial Twins

 

Before time was created, there existed only Uhuna, and Uhuna was all. She was the darkness and the chaos before time, and she shall exist once time has ceased to. She created all manner of planets but there was no life to them, so from herself she created her children, Iwara, the goddess of light and her brother consort, Soin, the god of time.

Iwara herself, soon grew heavy with child, and it was not long until she birthed those that would forevermore be known to their followers as the Celestial Twins; Kudione, the goddess of the sun, and day, and life; and Oridione, the god of the moon, and night, and death.

Kudione was a golden wonder, in contrast to her mother who was more like light incarnate. Her skin had a golden hue and her hair was like sun fire, with eyes an encompassing white as a sign of her divinity.

In contrast, her brother Oridione was like silver given form with the quite light that shone from him. His skin was as pale as his divine eyes, and his flowing hair even more so.

Kudione and Oridione were almost never apart, and it was just as so, due to Kudione being She Who Brings in the Day, and Oridione being He Who Brings in the Night. Every morn Kudione would dance the Dance of the Day during dawn, and as she danced, her light would shine on all, and life would sprout from wherever her light would happen to land. Where there was desert, water would flood; where nothing grew, plants of all nature would bloom; where nothing lived, creatures would emerge and be born. The world in Kudione’s light was glorious, vibrant, and wonderful - truly the work of a divine such as she.

However, upon the hour of twilight, when the sky would shift from pink and orange to take on the hues of violet and indigo, Oridione would dance the Dance of the Night, in which the only light to be found would come from him, while the whispers of death would cling to his heels. It was during these dark hours that he would take the souls of all dead things and hang them up within the sky as stars, so that his light was not the only light that would shine at night.

Yet for all of the cold beauty that the world held at night, Oridione found it to be a terribly lonely place and his heart began to ache for Kudione’s presence. And so for 30 nights he thought about what he could do in order to fill the world. He had not been born with his sisters gift of bringing life forth into the world, and rather had been given the opposite with his talent for death. However, he wanted to create something of his own even if it was with the help of Kudione — he wanted to create _life_.

And suddenly as if he had simply conjured the it out of thin air, an idea came to him. Why not simply create life with Kudione?

And so the very next day he approached her after she had finished her Dance of the Day and asked, “Kudione, would you create something with me?”

Kudione turned to him, brow raised in question for him to explain.

“I mean, would you create life with me? Beings that would be in our image that would in time populate the earth and give it greater life than it already holds.”

Kudione was clearly surprised, but after a moment of contemplation, Oridione could see a glint in her eyes, and the beginnings of mischief curling the edges of her lips.

“I will, but on one condition.”

Hope burned in Oridione’s chest at the fact that Kudione had not said no, but it warred with his mounting anxiety over what her condition would be.

“Alright, what is it?”

Her grin grew bigger, “Dance for me. Impress me through your dance your will to create life with me, even though it goes against your very nature, however you must not stop. For if you do then I shall simply leave, and your request will not be fulfilled.”

Oridione stared at her in slight disbelief, but then after thinking upon it he understood her reasoning. He was the god of death and her opposite in every way. If she was to create creatures of higher understanding than what already existed — creatures that were to be created in their divine image — she would not only have to trust his devotion irrevocably, but also ensure that his passions would not simply be consumed by her her own sun fire.

He nodded in agreement, “Fine, I shall do it.”

Pleased, Kudione turned and sat down upon the soft grass of the wildflower field that they were currently in. After situating herself, she looked over to where her brother stood and said, “Begin.”

There were was no music to accompany the dance, save for the music of nature all around him. But it was fine, for as soon as he began to move, all of his awareness of the world began to melt away until it felt like he was in a void with Kudione, dancing the a symphony of sounds that only he could hear.

The first day was the hardest for it meant that he had to not only capture Kudione’s attention, but also _keep it_ , which was a feat in and of itself. Eventually he managed to find a tone to his movements that kept her gaze from wandering, even if it meant that it was particularly taxing on him.

Over and over he pushed himself to the edges of what his body would twist and turn into in order to please her. By the seventh day, his body felt as if it was on fire — as if Kudione herself had at some point come up to him and lit his person with her own sun fire. And so with through the moments of his dance he began to strip one article of clothing off at a time. A vague peripheral awareness told him that she was watching his movements like a hawk would a mouse, but he cared not. He simply wanted to not feel like he was being cooked alive under his many robes that only seemed to slow him down the more he moved. And besides, he happened to like — no, _craved_ — Kudione’s attention.

He only stripped until he had gotten down to his loincloth that was as finely made as the rest of his robes, but under Kudione’s fiery gaze that he was quickly learning was being filled with nothing other than _passion_ , he felt as if he wore nothing at all. On every sliver of skin that was exposed as he moved much more freely now, he felt as if his skin was humming with electricity, and he soon found that stripping had done nothing to elevate the heat he felt. For now instead of feeling like he was being cooked alive, he felt as if he was lightening given form, and he was burning from the inside out.

Fortunately he did not have to burn alone for much longer, for he began to hear the whispers of silk falling onto grass, and Kudione’s voice saying, “Stop.”

Oridione could’ve wept with relief, but instead, he stopped his dancing and looked towards Kudione — whom he had not truly gazed upon the entire seven days of his dancing — while he attempted to catch his breath; and she was a vision. Clad in only her underthings, Kudione’s skin glowed gold as she looked him, with eyes that seemed to bore into the very fabric of his being. A smile began to form on her lips as she crooked a finger at him, and in a voice like warm honey and embers she said, “Come.”

Oridione shivered, but he was far from cold.

He padded his way towards her, and seemed to become aware of every inch of the space left between them when he finally stopped before her. Kudione laid a hand upon his cheek, and brought his lips to hers in a way that Oridione could only think of as if she was claiming him, even though they were hardly ever apart since Iwara had brought them into existence. And yet, there was a softness to the kiss that seemed to open him up like he was a flower awakening to the sun.

When she pulled away, he had to stop himself from following her as she made to speak again, eyes hooded with hunger, “Come Oridione and dance with me. Let us see what mortal creatures we can make through the two of us.”

And so they did. Again, and again, and again, until their names were all they knew as they floated in a sea of bliss, and the earth upon which they laid was consecrated from their coupling. And when they finally parted, they found that they had created their mortal creatures, that were so much like them in their form and manner in which they lived their lives. They decided to call them ‘humans’, and even though the humans soon became their worshipers, they nevertheless held their creations dear to their hearts.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it, and are maybe enjoying it?? haha
> 
> You can find me at: 
> 
> -Twitter: @empressofhorror  
> \- Tumblr: empressofhorror.tumblr.com


	2. Chapter 1: Promise Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to edit the chapters and ao3 messed up the order;;;
> 
> It should be fine now though haha;;;;

It wasn’t as if Shuu disliked his omegan dynamic — on the contrary omegas were quite prized in Uhunavanian society — however, he would not be in the current situation that he was in if he had been born otherwise. 

He watched in the mirror as his maid Matsumae fixed his  _ esisa  _ — the near floor-length silken sashes that hung low on one's hips and covered what the thinness of both the under and overskirts failed to. His was black and embroidered in silver to complement the rich indigo and violet of his over robe. Silver mer scales and pearls were strung through his dark hair, and gleamed from the sunlight that came through his window.

It was only when Matsumae had turned to his dresser to the small bowl that held the blood red juice from jula berries did Shuu finally speak, “Matsumae?”

“Yes?” 

“Could you please enlighten me as to why I’m going through with this again?” ‘This’ being him being married off to a man that he did not know — the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Kaisan, a coastal country on the northern mainlands, and one of their closest neighbors. As was Kaisanian tradition, the arranged parties were — if it could be helped — not to meet each other until the wedding day. Due to the distance between Uhunava and Kaisan this hadn't proved to be an issue, therefore all Shuu knew of him was that he was an alpha; his name — Typhis Ashenkal; the fact that he was four years older than Shuu’s own twenty-one; and if rumors were to be believed, was the complete epitome of Kaisanian stereotypes — a greedy people who were convinced that their society did things in a more ‘civilized’ way than others, and were not only quick to spread their holier-than-thou philosophy, but also quicker to be angered when they were not met with the results that they had wanted.

Matsumae’s steady voice shook him from his thoughts, “It is because as the sole heir to the Tsukiyama Royal Family and therefore all of Uhunava, you have a duty to fulfill by heeding the King’s wishes to form not only an alliance, but also valuable trade between our people and the Kaisanians.”

Ah yes, the King, his father Mirumo. For as much as Shuu loved his father, it was in this instance that he loathed the man for ever agreeing to the Kaisanian’s proposal of an arranged marriage between them. This was more a marriage of pure convenience than anything else, and although they would acquire quicker trade routes by going through Kaisanian waters, they were also offering a good cut of any mer caught throughout the year.

The sweet scent of jula berries hit his his nose as Matsumae dabbed some of the juice on his lips so that they would stain a deep red. When she turned to grab the small bowl of charcoal, he closed his eyes as he grumbled, “Even still I’m being married of for better trade routes Matsumae. Trade routes. What was father  _ thinking _ ?”

He heard her deep chuckle as he felt a soft brush full of charcoal dance along the edge of his eyelid, “I would think that he was thinking of the good of the kingdom. It was a golden opportunity, with you being of age and an omega at that. All of our other neighboring countries do not have any unmarried alphas, if anything, this marriage will ensure that the Tsukiyama family will continue to live on.”

Eyes still closed, Shuu felt her brush some other fine dust on his cheeks — probably crushed tahla petals from what he could remember being on his dresser — so as to bring into stark relief the dark tattoos made from the black ink of mer’s blood, that covered his cheeks and many other parts of his body that designated his nobility and place in the world.

Shuu could practically hear Matsumae’s happiness at her handiwork when she spoke next, “Come, litat, open your eyes.”

A smile tugged at Shuu’s mouth at the affectionate name that mothers would call their sons. Even though he and Matsumae held no blood relation, he held her as dear as if she were his own mother, especially since he could remember so little of the one that had passed in his childhood.

He stared at himself in the mirror, and as he stepped closer, he could hear the faint jingle of the silver anklets around his sandaled feet. Although he’s worn finery fit for an Uhunavanian prince before, he almost didn’t recognize himself. Deep brown eyes lined with charcoal stared back at him in the mirror; the white shimmer of tahla petal powder rested on his high cheekbones; his hair gleamed from the oils put in it earlier, and the silver mer scales and pearls that were woven through it with thread was, more than anything else he wore, a sign that this was actually happening. He was  _ actually _ going to be married off today.

Shuu saw Matsumae smile beside him, “You look as radiant as Iwara herself  _ litat _ .”

And with that, his eyes fell, while a sad smile played at his lips, “If only I were were wearing this for a wedding with someone that I actually love.”

He see Matsumae try to find the words to say in response, but even within Shuu’s own mind he knew there was nothing that she could say that could truly console him. He turned to her then, eyes pleading for an answer, “Do you think I’ll be happy with him?”

Matsumae took his hands in hers, “I believe,  _ litat _ , that you can achieve anything that you yourself believe that you can achieve. I have always thought that, and that will never change.”

Shuu felt his throat close up with emotion and he let out a haggard breath as he hugged her to him, trying desperately not to cry and ruin all of Matsumae’s work. As she hugged him fiercely back, he began to calm down as he smelled her familiar tangy sweet scent of lemon and lavender.

They didn’t separate until a knock was heard from Shuu’s door a few minutes later. At the sound Shuu cleared his throat before speaking again, “Come in.”

Shuu saw the door open and one of the younger male servants, Nyn — who couldn’t have been more than twelve — said to him, “The King has told me to tell you that the Kaisanian Crown Prince is in place at the temple, and that they would now be starting the processions.”

“Ah, thank you. I’ll leave now.” The boy nodded and shut the door again, and was likely standing outside with the guards, most likely under orders to wait for him.

Matsumae around him to go to the door as she spoke again, “Come, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Shuu sighed through his nose, “No, I suppose we shouldn’t.”

And with that they left.

 

* * *

 

When Shuu finally had been helped into the golden and black shoulder carriage that rested outside of the palace's front gates, and felt the slight jolt as it was heaved up by the servants, he began to hear the soft sounds of drums and flutes begin to play — and from looking outside through the windows on either side — he could see as a multitude of his people threw a rainbow of flowers onto the path as a show of their blessings. For all of the heat of the day, Shuu suddenly felt cold. The procession has finally begun.

The temple that he was to be married in was unfortunately for him, not as far as he would have liked from the palace, however it was still on the outskirts of the main capital’s — Sitis — grounds. Due to how the shoulder carriage was made, Shuu only knew that he was getting further from the Royal Palace and closer to the temple from how the stone buildings of high society soon began to disperse and become replaced with wooden ones with thatched roofs over time. 

Not even half an hour could have passed before the smell of the sea became even more prominent than it already had been. And it was only when he felt the servants finally stop, and the shoulder carriage become lowered did Shuu realize that they had arrived.

One of the guards opened the door for the shoulder carriage, and when he did, Shuu’s ears began to strain over how loud the musicians were playing. He sighed, already feeling the dull pulse of a headache start at the base of his skull — they could probably still hear the procession all the way back at the palace.

The temple — or as it was more formally called to those that happened to not live in Sitis or Uhunava’s main island of Uaran — the Temple of the Sun and Moon, was a sprawling, grand building that was made out of a combination of marble, wood painted bright red, silver and gold. It was older than Shuu could remember with it’s spiraling columns, exquisitely  detailed mural work, and its seamlessly indoor and outdoor architecture that allowed for the ever present wind from the sea to blow upon the many wind chims that were hung up around the place. From what Shuu had been told, the Temple of the Sun and Moon was said to have been built on the very site that Kudione and Oridione had mated on to create humans, and was therefore their most holiest site, with the very temple grounds being sacred.

Shuu had been to the temple many times during his life, but as he stood before it’s steps then, he felt as if he was seeing the place for the first time in his life. It was beautiful to behold, and his heart hurt for it.

The music began to die down as he climbed the steps with guards flanking him on each side. When he got to the top, two of them pushed open the great red doors that had a silver moon and a golden sun engraved on each one individually.  A breeze blew and he felt relief from the heat at the cool air, but not from the steady knots that he could feel that his stomach was turning into at the sight of the long hallway ahead of him, and the other two that went in opposing directions to either side of him that led into the many other parts of the great temple. 

Shuu’s focus however was on the one in front of him, so as he began to walk along the flower petal strewn marble floor the two guards followed him. Sunlight came into the hallway from either sides were only marble columns with silver accents held up it’s high roof. Short steps were on either side that could take one into the glorious flower garden that wrapped around the main inner part of the temple. It was there in order to replicate how the land that the temple was built on top of was originally said to be a wildflower field, and to act as a symbol of one of Kudione, the goddess of life. The air was heady with a myriad of sweet flower scents, and as Shuu made his way to the far end of the hallway he began to feel his nerves become calmer and more fiercer all at once.

When he stopped before the black and white doors of the temple’s main sanctum — Oridione’s colors, Shuu noted — his two guards opened them for him, and Shuu never has as strong an urge to flee as he did in that moment.

The Temple of the Sun and Moon’s inner sanctum was filled on either side with families from prominent houses. They sat on the plush mats that denoted all as equals under the eyes of the gods; “The Celestial Twins have no favors among their children,” as Matsumae would say. Even though all of them had turned to look back at him from the sound of the door opening, Shuu’s focus was not on them, but on the two figures that stood at the grand altar. One was obviously High Priest Ghalend, which one could tell by the figure’s many-layered floor-length red and white robes that were embroidered with fire and stars. The other was an imposing alpha dressed in strange fitted clothes with short hair the color of sand. Shuu immediately knew that he was looking at Kaisan’s Crown Prince. His skin was unmarked of the black tattoos that designated one's status, and it was a bit paler than Shuu’s own sun-kissed one. As Shuu began to walk down the aisle — his mind faintly registered the sound of flutes and the sweet sound of an  _ ettheri’s  _ strings being played — he began to see that the man’s piercing gaze was a striking blue grey, like the color of a rain-filled sky. Shuu thought they looked cold.

When he got closer to the Great Altar, the scent of frankincense and myrrh began to make the air even more heavier than it was from the smell of the many flowers within the sanctum. In his peripheral vision, Shuu saw his father sitting at the front of the congregation, but he was too upset to look at the man, so he ignored his presence entirely, choosing to focus more on High Priest Ghalend’s wizened face, and the light that came down from the colored glass ceiling that showed Oridione and Kudione dancing together among a flower field under a night sky.

At the sound of High Priest Ghalend’s voice Shuu reluctantly came back into the present, “Blessed day be to all under Kudione’s light! Today is a day of joining and union, not only for the countries of Uhunava and Kaisan, but also for the souls of the two present before me — Crown Prince Typhis Ashenkal of Kaisan, and Prince Shuu Tsukiyama of Uhunava.”  

Shuu chanced a peek at his groom again, but the man was ignoring him completely. Even though Typhis’s scent seemed to only give off the faintest hints off dissatisfaction, his demeanor told another story. His face as hard as stone, and the scowl that was on it seemed as if it was a permanent fixture. Although Shuu doubted he was doing any better at keeping his anxiety and fear under control from permeating the room, it was just as well, as Typhis was paying him no mind, eyes firmly rooted on the High Priest. 

“Now, let us proceed upon the soul joining!” Shuu’s eyes snapped back towards the High Priest who nodded for them to proceed. 

Shuu practically knew the ceremony by heart, which was why it hurt so much that he was being married off to Typhis. He had wanted to be married to a kind alpha, one that he loved — Typhis was the very opposite of that.

He stepped towards the taller man and held his arms in the lover's cross — left arm over right — that Typhis was to copy, and then clasp his own hands with Shuu’s own. But the blond simply looked at him with confusion and what looked like ever mounting frustration.

“What?”, he snapped in the guttural tongue of Kaisan, Kaivengen. Shuu knew enough to hold most conversations thanks to his tutors, but Kaisanians did not visit Sitis often, let alone Uhunava itself. They saw Uhunavanians as less ‘civilized’ with their beliefs and way of life.

Shuu grit his teeth and vaguely wondered if Typhis knew that he was about to ruin relations with both of their countries, because he apparently either held a worse grasp of a the Uhunavanian language of Usakala than a child, or had simply not taken the time to properly study the Uhunavanian marriage traditions.

Shuu whispered quickly at him, hoping no one save the High Priest would hear, “Copy my arms, and clasp your hands with mine.”

Instead of Typhis following his orders like he had hoped, the alpha only gave him an irritated blank stare.

Uhuna preserve him, the man was as ignorant as a babe! Shuu wanted to cry. What had he done for him to be in this situation? 

Complications during the joining part of the wedding, especially due to the failings of one of the parties being married, was a source of great shame, and denoted bad luck on their union as a couple. Like a stain that would never come out. For as much as Shuu did not  _ want  _ to marry Typhis, by the gods, he was not going to let some brute of an alpha ruin his place within society.

He felt himself send a steely glare over towards Typhis that was barely masked with a tight-lipped smile — they were still in front of a room full of witnesses after all. When he spoke, his tongue felt a tad heavy from having to maneuver around the rolling words that consisted of the Kaivengen language, but he kept his voice low all the same, “I said. Copy my arms, and clasp your hands with mine. If you hesitate anymore you will be canceling the wedding.”

Shuu was unsure if his accent was making his words difficult for Typhis to understand or not, but it seemed that the alpha understood him well enough, for he did as he was told without a second word. His scent rose in irritation, and it burned Shuu’s nose, but he ignored it as he sighed in relief. 

“Now,” Shuu looked back towards High Priest Ghalend at the sound of the man’s voice, as did Typhis, despite his inability to truly understand, “we shall join their souls with the Cords of Union.” He picked up one long, golden cord, and a silver one to match from the Great Altar, and slowly, methodically, began the process of looping the cords around their clasped hands to solidify their union.

Shuu saw the questioning look in Typhis’s eyes, so he simply said, “He joining us with the Cords of Union. The golden is for Kudione, and the silver for Oridione. In this way, are souls are said to begin the binding not unlike how the Celestial Twins are bound.”

Typhis simply nodded. Shuu could still smell his irritation, but it had toned down some. He sighed, and hoped that the day would pass faster as it was still early evening. Uhunavanian wedding receptions could last for well into the night, and Shuu could already feel the dread of later exhaustion haunt him.

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to calm down his mounting stress by listening to the sweet sound of the  _ ettheri  _ being played with a chorus of flutes somewhere in room, that due to the tall architecture of the glass ceiling, made the sounds warp into something nothing less than haunting. A shiver ran down his spine at the sound of it.

Shuu only opened his eyes again once the High Priest had finished joining their hands with the Cords of Union into a particularly intricate knot, that Shuu had been told was actually much easier to take apart then put together.

Satisfied with his work, High Priest Ghalend spoke again to the congregation, “With their hands now joined, so shall their souls now begin to be, which shall only be finalized through their own dance within three passings of Kudione’s light.” Which was simply just a very subtle way of saying that they would not truly be married within the eyes of the gods unless their marriage was consummated within three days. Shuu chanced a look back at Typhis again, but the alpha’s blue eyes were on the intricate knot that the Cords of Union had been made into.

Shuu bit his cheek. He doubted that Typhis knew about the three day consummation period if he did not even know about something as simple as the lover's cross. However, he knew that if he withheld the information he was only going to be damning himself at some point within the future. It was with this in mind that he made up his mind — he would tell Typhis.

Shuu tugged on the Cords, and when he saw Typhis look up at him he began to speak barely above a whisper, “High Priest Ghalend,” he inclined his head towards the High Priest, “is telling everyone that the cords bind us now, but that we only have three days to consummate otherwise the marriage is void.” Shuu could feel the tell-tale sensation of a blush appearing on his face, and he looked away for a second in embarrassment at talking about  _ consummation  _ with a complete stranger. However, when Shuu looked back at Typhis to see if he understood what he had said, he had to stop himself from fulfilling the violent urge to bite his tongue straight through from instant regret.

Instead of like before where Typhis had only nodded through his irritation at the situation, the Typhis now was wholly different. His blue-grey eyes looked darker than before, and he had a small smile on his face, but that combined with the next words he spoke, wracked through Shuu such a strong wave of nausea he wondered, vaguely, how was it that he was still able to stand.

“Oh? Three days? I’ll make sure that I put all of them to use then. I hope you’re worth all of this trouble for some mer.” He paused, a thoughtful look coming over his face, his grin getting bigger, “Although, I suppose even if you weren’t it probably wouldn’t be hard to make you to be.” His scent had shifted from the fading burn of irritation to the thick musk of  _ want _ , but Shuu wanted nothing to do with the man, his own breath coming up a bit short in his rising panic. He couldn’t care in the least that Typhis was probably considered quite attractive to others; no, how could he when the man’s scent made his nose burn, and he felt like nothing more than a prized bartering item under his gaze? He wanted to wrench his hands away from the Kaisanian’s own, but he knew it would be all for naught. Even if Shuu could escape, Shuu lived on an  _ island _ , where was there to go?

And so he did the only thing he could do — glare back at Typhis in silence, lips pressed into a thin line, the disgust in his scent probably even warring with Typhis’s one of want. Shuu only looked away once he registered that High Priest Ghalend had begun to move on with the rest of the joining.

“It is time for the pair to recite the Vow.” High Priest Ghalend nodded at Shuu to begin, but before he did he whispered a quick, “Repeat after me,” towards Typhis. He didn’t know if the alpha had heard or even understood his words, and frankly, he didn’t care.

Shuu sighed through his nose before he managed to make himself say the oath, “As my hands are bound to yours with the Cords of Union, I take upon myself the act of swearing this vow to you.” 

He waited for Typhis to repeat his words in a clumsy version of Usakala, before he continued. “I swear to protect you and hold you dear to my heart for every breath that I breathe from this point forward. May the gods strike me down if I were to love you any less than I should, and may my soul be bound to yours until Oridione hangs me above the stars.”

Shuu’s tongue felt like lead in his mouth, and as he heard Typhis repeat the rest of the Vow, Shuu wondered if Uhuna herself would strike him down where he stood for saying such a blatant lie on sacred ground, but when his heart still continued to race, he let out a breath that he didn’t even know he had been holding.

Shuu saw the High Priest in the corner of his eyes, and when he looked at the elder he saw him pull on one of the cords to separate them once again. When the final knot loosened and the cords fully collapsed into the High Priest’s hands, he spoke again, “You may now seal the bond with a kiss, and may the gods bless your union both.”

Shuu heard Typhis’s rolling voice ask him what had the High Priest said, so in an attempt to make everything go faster Shuu simply replied back, “You have to kiss me.”

Typhis said nothing. The blond only stepped closer to Shuu and cradled his face in his hands as he brought his mouth down to his, the scent of his want filling Shuu’s space again only stronger now. Shuu almost gagged. It was like holding his nose to something that had rotted but then someone had tried to cover up the smell with flowers — it didn’t work.

Shuu was as still as a statue as Typhis pressed his lips hard to Shuu’s own, and after a moment, he pulled away and with it allowing Shuu to breath just a fraction better again. He immediately stepped away from the alpha and made his way first back down the aisle, effectively ignoring the cries of congratulations from all of the guests around him — that mixed with the underlying sound of the music playing — sounded like pure din. The only thing Shuu could think of was that he had to refrain from giving into the urge to violently rub at his lips until they were raw, because he could still almost feel the phantom pressure of Typhis’s lips on his, and the alpha’s earlier promise that they held with them.

 

* * *

 

The reception for the wedding was being held outside at the back of the temple, and a bonfire was blazing bright and high at the center of it all.

Shuu sat on a mat not unlike the ones that were laid out within the sanctum at the very front of the feast so that he would have the best view of any entertainment. As the feast had only just begun, none had come up to the cleared area yet. He had lain his sandals to the side of him, relishing the feeling of his feet being tickled by the soft grass around him, much to Typhis’s chagrin. The Kaisanian had glared at him, and growled for him to put his shoes back on, they had an image to uphold after all. Shuu had pointed out that no one would care if he wasn’t following ‘proper decorum’ or not. Uhunavanian feasts were about merriment and weren’t something to sit through quietly,  _ especially  _ one regarding something as important as a wedding. Typhis simply continued eating his food and made no further comment on the subject, but his scent was still burning strong with irritation, so Shuu kept his shoes off and had said nothing since.

The fare that had been laid out before them on the large wooden floor tables looked exquisite. Roasted wild boar slightly charred from the fire and gleaming from the savory sauce that covered it sat near the center. Next to it was an overflowing seafood platter of crab legs, stuffed clams, shrimp, buttered lobster tails, and roasted sea bass over a bed of various leafy greens and corn. But all of these paled in comparison to Uhunava’s prime delicacy of fresh mer that was lain at the center. Grilled mer tail steaks with sliced lemon was presented before them, plump from having been marinated in herbed juices, the light grey flesh showing that it had been cooked through and through. 

When Shuu took a bite of one he groaned, eyes closing in pleasure as the fatty fish’s savory flavor took over his senses. Shuu had always loved food, but by far, his favorite food was mer. Grilled mer steaks — be it tail or torso it didn’t matter - stuffed liver, mer belly, black eye stew, and perhaps the best of them all — anything made with  _ mer eggs _ . Shuu groaned again, mouth watering from just the thought of tasting the ones that would no doubt be implemented somehow into the dessert later. 

As he dived more into his food, he began to hear the beat of drums and  _ ettheri  _ play again, but instead of the light and haunting sounds that had been played within the temple’s inner sanctum, the music now was more heavier, wilder — seductive— the type of music that was fitting for the dancers that had begun to gather around within the clearing.

There were at least a dozen of them with a slight more number of women than men. They were wearing sheer silks, so they were undoubtedly from one of the more high-class brothels within Sitis. Shuu saw a tattoo on one of the women’s gold bangled wrists as she moved. It was of a black circle with small dots surrounding it; the sigil of the House of the Black Sun — he had been right. They were the most famous brothel house in Sitis, and likely all of Uaran. Both the women and men were barely clad, save for wearing their underskirts, esisa, and a sheer version of the more modest overrobe. 

Shuu took a drink of his wine, the sweet taste of jula berries making him more relaxed by the second. He hadn’t even noticed that he had finished his initial cup of it until an omegan servant girl came and refilled it from a pitcher. Shuu wanted to thank her, but she left before he could even open his mouth, her head down the whole time.

Shuu looked back over at Typhis and saw him scowling at his barely touched plate. The most being food from the sea platter tray and the wild boar. Shuu noted that Typhis had left his cut of mer tail almost the same as it originally had been. In truth, Shuu had no idea as to why the alpha hadn’t eaten, and since he was already beginning to feel a slight buzz from the wine — the warmth spreading through him with every sip — he couldn’t care less of Typhis’s dietary problems. He was about to turn away, and continue to look upon the dancers who had apparently been joined by a few members from court, Shuu heard the blond say, “I can’t believe that you can even eat this.”

“Eat what?”

“ _ This _ ,” he hissed as he pointed to his slice of mer.

“I cannot believe that I married you for mer among other things, when it tastes like it’s rotten.” Typhis continued to scowl at his plate, making no moves to even attempt to eat it again.

Shuu shrugged. If the Kaisanian did not have the stomach to eat something as fine as mer then that wasn’t his problem. A part of Shuu even  wanted to smile at the alpha’s misfortune. Maybe it was his punishment for what he had said to Shuu earlier in the temple.

“Have you never eaten proper mer before?”

Typhis looked at Shuu as if he was a fool, “Of course not. The coast of Kaisan is at least a week away from Uhunava when there are good winds. Mer are exceedingly rare to even  _ see  _ that far up north, let alone catch any.”

Shuu made no attempt to add that mer most likely lived that far north — they were not afraid of colder waters — and that it was more likely that Kaisanian fishermen were just incompetent at actually capturing any without being lured by their songs and magick into the waters, and subsequently become eaten themselves. They were capricious creatures that would every now and again come up to the more shallow waters to find their prey, but in Uhunava it was more likely that they themselves would become taken instead. Shuu just continued to drink.

“In truth, mer tail steaks are one of the more ‘tamer’ cuts that we tend to eat. I cannot imagine how you’d react to black eye stew.”

Typhis eyed him warily, “And that is...?”

Shuu smirked, his eyes hooded from drink, his slight warm buzz having grown, and lazily looked back upon the dancers intermingling with their other upper class guests. A sight that would only be seen and accepted at an event such as this.

“Stew made with their eyes. Mer have eyes that are completely black with red centers. Most likely because their blood is black, which makes — in my opinion at least — some of the finest black inks, especially for our  _ thersam _ .”

Shuu looked back at Typhis, who looked close to being sick, his already pale face turning a deathly shade. Shuu felt his smirk grow.

“Your what?”

“Our  _ thersam, _ ” Shuu repeated a tad slower than before. There was no Kaivengen equivalent of the word, so he thought for a minute for words that could work to explain. He tapped his cheek, pointing to one of the swirling black designs that framed his face.

“This is a  _ thersam _ . It is, how would you say, a tattoo to show one’s place.” Shuu noted that his thinking had slowed down some, the jula wine working faster than he had thought, which meant that it must have been quite an old batch, the newer ones taking longer to work.

He could see Typhis was thinking on Shuu’s words, before he spoke again, “So, they’re tattoos to show status?”

Shuu nodded, “Everyone has their own array that grows over their lifetime. From one look at a person you could tell from which house they hail, and the rise and fall of their lives.”

Typhis said nothing at that, and so Shuu went back to his drinking, a part of him wanting to take the saying that Uhunavanian events weren’t true ones unless one could barely remember their name in the morning to heart.

The sound of the drums almost seemed to beat in time within his own heart, his body swaying slightly with the music, and Shuu suddenly — almost violently — wanted to partake in the dancing with the others instead of keeping the living embodiment of a storm cloud company for any longer. He set down his near empty cup and made to get up, legs a tad shaky from having sat on them for so long. He glanced at his sandals that he had set aside, and decided that he didn’t want to wear them again. 

“Where are you going?”

Shuu turned around at Typhis’s growling voice, and looked at him as if it should have been obvious, “I’m going to join the others, so that I can dance?”

“And you’re doing that because…?”

“I’m probably drunk and I want to have fun at my own wedding?” Shuu made a face as he shrugged Typhis’s gaze off and wandered into the throng, “Join me if you want to.” He didn’t look back to see Typhis’s expression in response.

Now that he was out of the living storm cloud’s presence and was surrounded by the frantic energy of the dancers, Shuu felt himself relax and surrender his movements to the music. The beat of the drums and the high-strung energy of the  _ ettheri _ , made Shuu’s body humm.

His head had been swimming amidst the pleasure from the jula wine, the feeling of a few dancers bodies pressed against his, and the air thick with the scent of wanting. Which was why when Shuu opened his eyes again he thought that — for a moment — he was either seeing things, or had gone completely insane.

Because only a few yards away from him in the crowd was Oridione himself. 

His hair was white, but a bit longer than Shuu’s own and his skin paler yet, as if he had not been under the light of the sun in ages. He was wearing clothes not unlike what the dancers wore, and was barefoot, but his skin was devoid of any thersam, like a babe’s. He was on the outer edges of the crowd — more near the the edges of the bonfire's light more than anything else — and was simply standing, staring at Shuu, with a small smile on his lips. It was a luring smile, and Shuu felt his heart lurch with the sudden need to be within his presence. And so, Shuu made his way through the crowd to him, curiosity and awe burning in the pit of his stomach.

When Shuu managed to make his way to Oridione a part of Shuu wanted to curl up and die, because he could do nothing except stare in awe. How could he not? He was staring before his  _ god _ .

Now that Shuu was closer to him, Shuu could see that the moon god was a tad shorter than him, and that Oridione’s eyes were silver, and when he spoke, his voice sounded like an  _ ettheri  _ being played — haunting and smooth all at once.

“Are you the Tsukiyama’s heir?”

“Yes.” Shuu sounded breathless to even his own ears, and he could feel his face reddening with a blush.

Oridione’s smile grew, and for a second, Shuu had genuinely forgotten how to breathe. 

“Then your name, young prince?”

“Shuu.”

The god repeated his name, his face thoughtful, as if he was savoring it. The sound of his name on Oridione’s lips sent a shiver down Shuu’s spine.

Shuu saw the god glance at the dancing crowd, and as he placed a hand on one of Shuu’s arms. 

“Dance with me, Shuu?” he purred. As if Shuu could refuse.

“Of course.” 

Oridione grinned before turning and pulling Shuu back into the crowd, and for a moment Shuu could see his teeth — they looked sharp.

When they rejoined the throng, the music had changed to a different tune, but no less wilder than the last song that had been playing. They both stopped at the center of it all, limbs already moving to the music, bodies pressed together due to the lack of space, and Shuu never felt as hot and  _ alive  _ as he did right then. 

His hips whined in time with the music and he could feel his over robe slip from his shoulders, showing more of his detailed thersam to the gaze of the god. It wasn’t long before he felt hands on his back and then move to his waist, but it did take Shuu a moment to realize that he was practically scenting the god like some drunk fool. The thing was, even if he was, he really couldn’t care when he felt so  _ good _ .

Shuu could feel Oridione’s chest press upon his back, and when his lips found his neck — and more specifically when he  _ licked  _ Shuu’s now swollen scent glands — he gasped at the shot of pleasure that shot straight through him. His head felt fuzzy from drink and lust, and nothing made sense when he tried to look at anything.

Shuu felt Oridione turn him around, so that they were now face to face amidst the crowd. His gaze was soul piercing, and when he spoke it was low, but Shuu still managed to hear him anyway, “Would promise me something?”

“Anything.” The word was out of Shuu’s mouth before he even knew that he had uttered it.

The god’s smile grew, “Then….what would you say if I asked you to come with me?”

Shuu frowned as he tried to decipher the god’s words through the fog in his mind, “And go where?”

Oridione shook his head, “It doesn’t matter. Would you or wouldn’t you?”

Shuu thought back to Typhis and his promise to use all of the consummation days, and his scent that made Shuu’s nose burn, and how he already lorded over him. He then he also thought about how  _ Oridione  _ was asking him this question. Not some nobleman’s son, or another prince, but his  _ god _ , the one who made his soul. How could he say anything else besides what he knew to be true?

“Yes!” Shuu’s voice coming out louder than he had intended, and he felt the blush that had become practically a permanent fixture on his face deepen in color.

The god’s eyes widened a fraction, and Shuu could see that his breath had suddenly started to come in fast as if he had just ran a mile. Shuu felt himself frown in concern. He was a split second away from asking Oridione if he was alright when his breath freeze in his throat.

The white of the god’s eyes flooded with black and the silver turned as red as jula berry wine. His mouth had split into an open mouthed grin, and his teeth looked as sharp as needles as he crushed their bodies together in a sudden unholy form of strength and cackled like something out of a nightmare.

“Remember that son of Aion-Lei, you  _ promised _ .”

It was then that the creature — for that was the only thing that it could’ve been, because it wasn’t human and he was a fool to have ever believed that it had been his  _ god  _ — crushed their mouths together in a breath-stealing kiss. When he felt it’s long tongue sliver into his mouth, and it was as if he had suddenly been lit on fire, because he  _ screamed _ .

Shuu could hear the music come to a harsh stop and the murmurings of people as they looked around to find the cause of the disturbance. It didn’t take long.

Even as the creature pulled away and his black tongue went back inside his mouth, Shuu shrieked for help and struggled like a madman, while the thing only  _ laughed _ . 

“And now it its a promise  _ sworn _ .” 

Shuu suddenly heard his father bellow, “What in Uhuna’s name do you think you’re  _ doing _ ?! Unhand my son!”

Both Shuu and the creature’s head snapped over towards where his father was marching through the crowd flanked by soldiers and Typhis, whose anger was already making Shuu’s eyes water even more through the tears from how strong his scent was. The creature hissed at the newcomers like the abomination it was, and the sound of it stopped the group up short.

The creature growled out his words, rage making them come out of his mouth thick, “Talk to me again like that and I’ll gut you where you stand worm!”

Shuu saw his father glare at the creature that kept him fiercely hostage, his mountainous strength not letting up for even a moment, and struggling was only proving to tire Shuu out faster.

“Hand back my son.”

The creature laughed again, the sound coming out harsh from his anger, “You have some gall Mirumo to ask that of me.”

Shuu could practically see his father bristle at being talked down to like he was.

“And how do you know my name?” he snapped. 

“I know it because I knew your father, your father’s father, and the one before him. So, I’d advise you to lose the attitude  _ boy _ , because I am far older than I look.” Shuu felt as if cold water had been poured down his back, and the fine hairs on the nape of his neck stood on end. This monster was downright unholy, and he felt a whimper slip out.

“P-Please just let me go.”

Shuu saw the creature’s black eyes move back to him slowly his grip on his arms and waist tightening all the while, “You promised.”

Shuu whimpered.

“You  _ swore _ !”

“Yes!” Shuu snapped. “I did! But that was before I knew you were this, this,  _ thing _ !” when he finished his voice had turned horrified.

“You call me a thing? If anyone should be called that it should be the likes of murderers like the lot of you!” The creature was shaking with rage now, and it took a moment for him to calm down enough to speak again. When he did he only looked at Mirumo.

“You would think that you would have realized it from your kind already having ripped away so many of my people’s lives.” Shuu felt his stomach drop, not wanting to acknowledge the reality that was staring him right in the face.

The creature lifted his head and the small movement was regal as his words, “I am Ken Kaneki, and I am the king of the mer. And I have come to claim what is mine.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find me at:
> 
> \- Twitter: @empressofhorror  
> \- Tumblr: empressofhorror.tumblr.com


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